Car-door mechanism.



R. V. SAGE. G'AR DOOR MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29, 1912.

Patented Jan. 27, 1914 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH V. SAGE, F WESTMONT BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-DOOR M To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH V. SAGE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Westmont, inthe county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Door Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the door operating and locking mechanism for car-doors, and is adapted for use with gondola or flat bottom cars provided withfiush doors, or with other types of dumping ears, and its object is to provide apparatus of the class described, which is simple in construction, convenient of operation and easily repaired.

position by means independent of the lifting connections in case the lifting means should break or become disconnected.

- To this end my invention consists of a lifting shaft connected to the door, and independent door-locking means adapted to be locked and unlocked by the rotation of the lifting shaft.

In t e accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which similar characters refer to corresponding parts :Figure 1 is a vertical transverse secti on taken on the line II of Fig. 2 through a portion of a gondola car-body, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a gondola car showing my mechanism as applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a detail transverse section taken on the line HIIH of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross section of a pressed metal car-stake which I may use instead of the rolled shape shown in the other figures of the drawings. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bent plate forming a part of the construction.

For the sake of convenience of illustration and description, I have shown my provement in connection or gondola car, but the with a hopper bottom car or any other car having a swinging dumping door, and although the shaft is shown located longitudinally of the car, it may be mounted transversely or inclined, as will be readily understood y one skilled in this art,

Specifleation of Letters Patent.

ECHANISM.

Patented Jan. 27, 1914. 1912. Serial No. 717,708.

Referring to the variouscharacters of reference upon the drawings :-1 designates the operating-shaft, which, as shown, extends longitudinally of the car and is mounted in stirrup brackets 2 of substantially U-shaped form, the said shaft extending over the tops of the transorns, which transoms may either composed of rolled channels 3 or of pressed metal as shown at 4. These flying transoms are riveted to the center Sills 5 at their inner ends by means of angular brackets 6, if they are of rolled shape, or, if they are of pressed metal, by the integral inner flange of the same. The outer ends of the flying transoms are riveted directly to the lower ends of the side-stakes 7 of the car. These stakes may be of rolled section of angular'form, as shown at 7,

of pressed metal as shown in in Fig. 4, or they may be of any or pressed shapes, as desired.

The corner shedding plate 8 has an upper attached to the lower edge plate and a lower vertical forms the jarnb of the door.

will close against it.

The car door 11 is hinged at 12 on its inner side to the center-sills 5 and is operated by means of the door operating mechanism comprising the operating shaft 1 which has a worm or winding drum 13 mounted thereon and is connectedto the bracket 14, attached to the or, if 0 erated in the and closes the doors,

chains and opposite direction, unwinds t opens the doors.

In order to lock the door in a closed position and take the strain oh the lifting chains 15 and also prevent the door from accidentally opening, I provide one or more latches or bolts 16 of similar construction mounted slidably within the U-shaped stirrup brackets 2, which brackets have outwardly extending flanges 17 for attaching them to the shedding plate -8. A bent plate is fitted within the said U-shaped brackets having a portion extending vertically as at. 18, and

side of the bracket, a horizontal portion 19 slotted as at 20, and a downwardly extending end portion 21, thus the same time and retracted by the said operating shaft and arranged to support the door in its closed position.

2. The combination with a hinged cardoor, of an operating shaft mounted on the car body, flexible connections therefrom to the door, a spring projected latch adapted to be retracted by the said operating sha t, said latch being independently mounted on the car body and arranged to support the door in its closed position.

3. The combination with a hinged cardoor, of an operating shaft mounted in stirrup brackets on the car side, spring projected door-locking the said stirrup brackets and adapted to be retracted from the operating shaft and arranged to support the door in its close position.

4. The combination with door, of stirrup brackets attached to the car side, an operating shaft having its bearings therein, spring projected door-locking means mounted within the said stirrup brackets, adapted to be retracted by the rotation of the operating shaft and arranged to support the door in its closed position.

5. The combination with a hinged cardoor, of an operating shaft having its bearings in stirrup brackets mounted on the car side, a latch adapted to operate within said stirrup brackets, a spring for normally profiecting the latch beyond the edge of the cardoor in its closed position, and a tappet secured to the operating shaft for retracting the latch to open the door.

6. The combination with a car provided with a swinging door, of a shedding plate, stirrup brackets, having forming a box-shaped space for the recepl tion of the latch 16, hich has an upwardly extending lug move within the slotted portion 20 and to contact with a tappet 23 mounted on the shaftl.

The nose of the latch 16 is normally projected forward by means of a spring 2& an passes under the edge of the door, which may be reinforced with a striking plate 25. Ifdesired, an opening 26 may be made in the bottom of the U-shaped bracket in order to allow for the escape of any foreign sub stances which may otherwise clog the slideway.

The operation of the device is as follows :-Assi1ming that the door is closed, as shown. in full lines in the drawings; the operating shaft 1 is turned in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1, and in doing so the straight face of the tappet 23 comes in contact with the lug 22 of the latch 16 pushing it backward and releasing the door; at the chain 15 will be unwound and the door will swing downwardly and inwardly to its open pos'tion. As a preliminary to the lowering of t e door the straight face of the tappet 23 engages the contact lug 22 of the latch 16 during the first revolution or part revolution of the shaft 1 and retracts the latch 16 to permit the door to be lowered, and after the door is partly lowered, the spring 24pushes the latch farther forward than when the door is closed, so that at the next revolution of the shaft, the tappet does not strike the contact lug. When the door is closed, however, the forward end of the latch bears against the striking plate .25 which holds it in position so that t e tappet will engage the contact In prior to opemng the door as ust de-- ing flanges attached to the said shedding scribed. In closing the door the operating plate, an operating shaft having its bearshaft is turned in the reverse direction, ings in said stirrup brackets, a latch prowhich will wind up the chain, and, owing to vided, with means for normally projecting the beveled end of the latch, it will be pushed back when it comes in contact with the edge of the door in passing the same and the latch will assume the position shown in the drawings, in which case the weight of .the do'oi at that side will be sustained by the latch and its attachments.

While I have shown and described my invention in considerable detail, I do-not wish to be limited to the exact construction specified, but may use such substitutions, modifications or alterations as fall within the scope of my invention, and as pointed out in the claims.

the same beyond the edge of the car-door, and a tappet secured to the operating shaft adapted to retract the latch in opening the door.

7. The combination with a swinging door, of a shedding plate, stirrup brackets having outwardly extending flanges attached to the shedding plate, an operating shaft having its bearings in said stirrup brackets said shaft extending over the tops of the transoms of the car, a latch within said stirrup brackets, means for normally projecting the latch beyond the edge of the car door, and a tappet se- Having thus described my invention, what cured to the operating shaft within the I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patstirrup brackets adapted to retract the latch ent 1s:- in opening the door.

8 The combination with a hinged cardoor, of an operating shaft having its bearings in stirrup brackets mounted on the car side, a latch having its slideway within said stirrup brackets, means for normally pro- 1. The combination with a hinged carmounted on the door, of an operating shaft car-body, flexible connections therefrom to the door, spring projected locking mechanism independently mounted on the car body means mounted within a hinged carwith a car providedjecting the latch beyond the edge of the car closed position; a bent plate having a vertidoor, a bent plate having a vertical portion cal portion attached to the inside of the stir- 20 attached to the inside of the stirrup bracket, rup bracket and a slotted horizontal portion a slotted horizontal portionforming the top through which extends the contact lug of the of the slideway of the latch, said horizontal latch, the outer end of said horizontal slotted portion being bent downwardly and adaptportion being bent downward" transversely ed to transversely close the end of the slideto thereby close the end of the slideway; 25 way; and a tappet secured to the operating and a vtappet secured to the operating shaft shaft within the stirrup bracket adapted to within the stirrup bracket adapted to reretract the latch in opening the door. tract the latch by means of the contact lug 9. In a car-door locking mechanism, a in opening the door. hinged door, an operating shaft mounted in In testimony whereof I hereto affix my 36 stirrup brackets on the car side, flexible consignature in the presence of two witnesses.

'nections-therefrom to the door, a latch hav- RALPH V SAGE ing its slideway within said stirrup, a contact lug on said latch, means for normally Witnesses:

pro ecting the latch beyond the edge of the J. F. GRocAN, door and adapted to retain the door in its ROBERT A. Beans. 

